To Sit. Va’yaishev

The darkness is upon us. The days are the shortest that days can be, the planets are unusually aligning, and we are inside the lunar month, kabbalistically speaking, associated with sleeping and dreaming. In other layers of awareness, it is 2020, the world, still in the midst of a global pandemic, is waiting for the light to come in, metaphorically speaking, with an approved vaccine and the promise of immunized masses. In yet another layer of awareness there is an upcoming festival - a festival of Lights, the festival of Chanukah, about to begin (December 10th) set to last an entire week plus one day - a festival of blessing and meditating on the preservation of light and miracles in times of great darkness.

All of this within the meditative elements from this week's Torah, with a focus on the chapters called Vayeshev, translated as to sit or to dwell. This week's narrative energy is filled with the life of a dreamer, brotherly jealousy, a hatred so deep it wants to kill, and embodied female desire that goes after what she wants. This week has the energy of taking extreme actions -- like selling the annoying favoured part of the family system into slavery, or getting the baby to which your soul is committed at all costs; two narrative twists that secure the fate of Abrahamic line of energy -- ( by selling Joseph the brothers ultimately lead the entire family to Egypt and later into slavery, while Tamar's seduction, brings the messianic line into the world through Judah.) This week's energy seeds the exodus from Egypt and the messianic redemption. Joseph and Judah.

These narrative thought forms make this a favorable time to look inward and find the parts of ourselves that carry those elements; unconscious jealousies and desires that might be running our lives - for better and for worse - and where they lead us. It is a good time to notice which part of ourselves or people in our lives are so annoying we must exile - and the consequence of that action. What part we are not willing to abandon, like Tamar's quest, and what part, like Joseph’s is always blessed, even when tossed in jail.

Needless to say, a lot moving through the cosmos, and an excellent time to examine the way we think about these concepts in our own self. And to use the Chanukah light to support and guide us.

After all, it will take a miracle to remove the desire to kill from our world which existed then, and has yet to disappear from our world. Paradoxically it is also a great week to pull in the Joseph energy, to feel the blessing of the dreamer that succeeds in all he does.

Questions you might consider asking yourself:

What part of you shines without any shame? How is that part regarded by others? How do you regard others who unselfconsciously shine? Is there a part of you that hates an other person or aspect of yourself? What do you do with those feelings?

Which embodied female desire do you identify with? How do you understand going after what you want - and for what purpose do you want the union in the first place?

As mentioned earlier, this is a great time to examine embodied female sexual desire - Two women from different cultures, in alternate social positions and circumstances go after the man they want. Tamar, shamelessly fulfills her destiny to carry on the line of Judah's seed. This union is understood to bring King David into the world. Contrasted with the type of female desire that comes after Joseph, now a high ranking slave in Egypt from his slave master's wife. Unlike his brother Judah, Joseph evades all advances, landing him jail after a false accusation.

Try to take a few moments this week to look within and sense if there is any part of the narrative that triggers inner work, self adjustment and re-alignment - independent or linked to any personal drama. Notice what elements interest you and which feel disturbing - what thoughts or feelings are brought out of you?

If we can stop hating each other or parts of ourselves, if we can reconcile ourselves to the wisdom of female sexual desire - even when frustrated - to move a plot along - if we can understand how our unrectified hatred lead us all into slavery - perhaps we can change the story. Perhaps we can merit the new light of the chanukah story. The miracle of finding light in the dark. Of rebuilding. Of total change.

Wishing everyone a chaunkah filled with new miraculous light and a sense of redemption in the world.